Among the recommendations in the 178-page report, “Eye of the Storm,” based on lessons learned during the response to Hurricane Harvey, the State of Texas should:

• Form an ongoing recovery task force made up of county extension agents as well as staff from appropriate state agencies and nonprofit organizations;

• Predesignate a group of experts ready to assemble immediately for large-scale disasters to help response and early recovery efforts function more efficiently;

• Maintain a single, well-publicized State website for post-disaster information as well as investigate better use of 911, social media and mobile apps to communicate with the public and local officials;

• Develop catastrophic debris management procedures, encouraging local jurisdictions to adopt debris management plans as well as establishing a contracting template to protect against unscrupulous contractors;

• Expand the role of the Texas Department of Transportation in debris removal, a first during Harvey recovery, after future catastrophic storms; and

• Create a case management program at the state level to replace the federal version to speed up the response to individual needs.

The federal government has supported efforts to assess and monitor earthquake hazards and risk in the United States under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) since 1977. Four federal agencies responsible for long – term earthquake risk reduction coordinate their activities under NEHRP.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Federal Emergency Management Agency and
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

On November 27, 2018, Congress passed the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 and sent the bill to President Trump on November 29. The 2018 NEHRP reauthorization act largely leaves the overall program structure in place, but modifies some of the intents and purposes of the original legislation, such as removing references to the goal of earthquake prediction, and substituting instead the goal of issuing early warnings and earthquake alerts. The new law also authorizes appropriations for NEHRP activities for each of the four NEHRP agencies through FY2023.

The Diva is gathering background information on the impacts and effects of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. If you are a practitioner or researcher engaged in research for either of these major events she would like to chat with you.
[Contact: cbrubin@yahoo.com]